Sparkle
by Nade-Naberrie
Summary: Elphaba can't dance. It's a problem. Unfortunately, life has a few more obstacles to throw at the green girl and her bubbly roommate. Together, they are the greatest team there's ever been. They can handle anything. Right?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Wicked is addictive. Really, it is. This was a very random idea that occurred to me at 4 AM-ish. FYI, this is bookverse, but I couldn't resist using the musical Galindaism "Popsical." Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Wicked itself could be considered a fanfiction (the best EVER), but it's certainly not mine. **

"To the right now, ladies: five, six, seven, and! Sashay, skip, sashay, twirl, second position, let-me-see-your-spar-kle-fin-gers!"

Galinda sashayed, skipped, looped, hopped, pranced, and wiggled her fingers with enthusiasm and a winning pink-lipsticked smile, hoping to attract Madame Tsutsi's attention. She had, after all, been taking dance lessons since she was old enough to twirl, and if there was one thing that could be said about Galinda of the Arduennas, it was that she had _sparkle_ down pat.

Unfortunately, it appeared that Miss Elphie had not been blessed with The Gift, as Madame Tsutsi had taken to calling it. When the rest of the class shimmied left, Elphaba went right. When the class bunny-hopped right, Elphaba stumbled to the left. And there was nothing about Miss Elphie that even hinted at sparkle. She was dull, dark, somber green, and insisted upon wearing that horrid blue frock even when every other girl in the class was clad in a fluffy pink tutu.

"Miss Elphaba!" Madame Tsutsi cried for the umpteenth time, bringing the entire class to a screeching halt. The girls groaned in unison, turning to look at the latest disaster with manicured hands planted on slender hips. Elphaba had bumped roughly into poor Miss Pfannee, and both girls had fallen to the floor in a tangle of pink netting and green limbs. Madame Tsutsi hurried over to the crash and tried fruitlessly to extract Miss Elphaba's sleek, glossy hair from the rhinestones that adorned the bodice of Miss Pfannee's leotard.

"Get her _off_ of me!" Miss Pfannee yowled.

"It isn't exactly my idea of a picnic either, _darling_," Elphaba snapped, trying to yank her head away from Pfannee's bosom.

"Maybe if you weren't such a klutz—" Pfannee wriggled and flicked her fingers at Elphaba's head as if trying to swat away a swarm of gnats.

"Maybe if all your clothing didn't have to be drenched in all these damned trinkets—"

"Oh, so now the rhinestones are the problem?"

"Ladies, _please_!" Madame Tsutsi hovered over the squirming pile of flesh, gem, hair, and fluff, waving her hands about uselessly.

Galinda, who had grown as restless and impatient as the rest of the group, barged through the circle of girls surrounding the collision with a theatrical sigh. Dropping to her knees beside the tangled mess that was her friend and her roomie, she snatched Elphaba's silken hair unceremoniously and gave a good yank. Miss Elphie's head came free, but so, unfortunately, did the rhinestones; the tiny gems snapped away from Miss Pfannee's bodice and scattered across the floor in all different directions.

"My outfit!" Pfannee cried, stroking the tiny craters left in her leotard.

"My head!" Elphaba winced, rubbing her scalp.

"My word!" Madame Tsutsi sighed, shaking her head. "What a mess! I don't suppose I'll be able to reconstruct any semblance of order this afternoon, will I?" She turned to address the remainder of the class. "Methinks that is quite enough for today, ladies. Class dismissed."

That, at least, seemed to lift the girls' spirits. Aside from Miss Shenshen, who padded dutifully over to Pfannee's side to commiserate over her loss, everyone else left the room, chattering gaily.

Galinda waited patiently, hands clasped at the small of her back, for Madame Tsutsi to acknowledge and thank her for intervening. The dance instructor had one hand planted firmly on Miss Elphaba's shoulder, and was speaking privately to her in the corner. When at last she had spoken her peace, Elphaba nodded once and departed the room silently. Finally, Madame Tsutsi seemed to notice Galinda, and strode over with an appreciative smile on her aging face.

"Why, Miss Galinda, how kind of you to stay to help me pick up these rhinestones! They've scattered everywhere, I'm afraid, and I don't want anyone slipping on one and breaking any bones, no, we can't have that! Over there, I see some. Oh, and in the corner, too! Make sure to get them all, dearie. If you tilt your head just so, the light will catch them…"

Half an hour later, a very disgruntled Galinda threw open the dorm room door with a bang and a clatter, eyeing her roomie murderously.

Elphaba, who was curled up in a typical stance on her bed— bony green knees tucked up to her chest, a book in her lap— took one look at poor Miss Galinda and erupted in a cackle.

"What in Ozma's name happened to _you_?"

Clenching her small, pale hands against her sides to keep them from swinging at Miss Elphie's smug green face, Galinda stomped over to her bed and collapsed backward with a loud sigh. The last thing she wanted to do was confide her humiliating situation in Elphaba Thropp, but Pfannee and Shenshen were still locked up in their dorm in hysterics over the ruination of Pfannee's favorite dance outfit.

"I stayed after to talk to Madame about my performance," she whined, staring tearfully at the ceiling. "But she thought I was volunteering to help her pick up the rhinestones! And I couldn't very well tell her no, or she might not _like_ me any more, so I had to stay and help her find every—single—one!" Her pitch escalated with each word, and tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

Elphaba tilted her head back and laughed. "Oh, that's rich," she said. "I guess you've learned your lesson about trying to get a professor's 'special attention.'"

Pouting, Galinda sat up and glared at her roomie. "You're one to laugh! None of this would have happened if you could just learn how to dance!"

Elphaba's eyebrows shot up, her mirth dissolved into perfect seriousness. "Are you offering to teach me?"

"What?"

Elphaba dropped her book and scooted over to the edge of the mattress, letting her legs swing down to the floor. "Look, unlike the rest of you, my parents didn't enroll me in ballet lessons when I was two. I can't dance. If it wasn't a required class, I would have dropped it on the first day." She elapsed into an awkward silence, stared at her long, elegant fingers, and shrugged. "I'll make you an offer. If you help me get through this Oz-awful class, I'll tutor you in history."

"I don't _need_ help in history," Galinda lied through her teeth. But very quickly, she added, "However, I don't want another incident like today's calamity to happen again. So, I suppose—"

"Excellent." Elphaba clapped her hands and sprang to her feet. "Where do we begin?"

Galinda blinked her large blue eyes. "Now?"

"Why not? Class got out early, so we have another hour until dinner."

Swallowing the remnants of her tears, the blonde girl slid down from her bed and cleared her throat, stepping seamlessly into the role of instructor. Bossiness was one skill Galinda had perfected to an art over the years.

"Well, I suppose the first thing you should learn is the difference between left and right."

Miss Elphie's cheeks flushed a dark salmon color, and she refused to meet Galinda's eyes. "All right."

Holding her chin high, Galinda glanced over at her roomie. "Follow my lead." Elphie nodded. She took a step to the left. "Left." Elphaba followed, and repeated after her. "Good." Galinda took a step to the right. "Right." Again, Elphie mirrored her. Repeating the process, Galinda stepped in each direction, labeling them as she moved. "Left, right. Left, right."

"Left, right. Left, right," Elphaba parroted, watching her feet intently. "Like this?"

"Very good." Galinda smiled. This teaching thing was easy! "Now, if I ask you to shimmy right, what do you do?"

Elphaba hesitated, then shimmied left.

Galinda sighed. "No, that was left."

Her roomie blushed again. "Sorry."

The blonde girl stood still for a moment, studying Elphaba critically. She tried to think back to when Popsical had taught her the difference between left and right… and then suddenly it hit her.

Snapping her fingers smartly, she held out her hands and extended her forefingers and thumbs. "Look here, Miss Elphie. The fingers on your left hand make an 'L.' Just think 'L' for left."

Elphaba's eyes lit up, as if someone had flipped a light switch. "I can remember that."

"Good. Let's try this again." Galinda took a deep breath to build suspense, and Miss Elphie leaned forward like a puppy waiting for its master to throw a ball. "Take three steps to the _right_."

Miss Elphie paused only long enough to look at her hands before doing as she had been instructed.

"Now hop to the left."

Elphie did.

"Now do it together: three steps right, then one hop left!"

The green girl didn't even hesitate this time before following instructions perfectly.

Galinda jumped up and down and clapped excitedly. "You did it!" she squealed.

Elphaba blushed, but a _good_ blush this time. "I'm a visual learner. I guess I should have mentioned that. I have to see what I'm supposed to do, not just hear it."

Giggling, the blonde girl threw herself back on her bed and kicked her legs in the air. "I am such a good teacher, I amaze even myself!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you do," Elphie grumbled, but she, too, was smiling. "Okay, alright, enough, let's get back to work."

They spent the next two hours working tirelessly to perfect Elphie's posture, positioning, leaps, bends, and twists. As it turned out, Galinda's first impression couldn't have been more wrong; Miss Elphie was astonishingly graceful, in her own odd way. Time flew, and they forgot dinner entirely. Most of the girls had already trudged back from the dining hall by the time they decided to call it quits for the night.

"I think you've got the gist of it, Miss Elphie," Galinda said, falling back on her bed with an exhausted whoosh of breath.

"I think so too," Elphaba agreed, sitting on her own bed a bit more gently. An awkward silence fell between them, broken only by the sounds of the other girls returning to their dorms.

"So… I guess we missed supper," said Galinda.

"Yeah." There was another long pause. Elphaba opened and closed her mouth, and finally decided to speak. "Would you… like to go grab a bite at the café down the street? I'll buy."

If Galinda's eyes had softened over the past few hours, a sheet of ice suddenly slid back into place. "It's against the rules to leave campus after dark, as you very well know." It was her own way of saying that she wouldn't be caught dead in the company of Elphaba Thropp outside of the privacy of their own dorm, and both of them knew it. She had a reputation to uphold, after all.

And with that simple statement, the warmth seemed to seep out of the room in a rush, replaced by a bone-deep chill that settled over both girls. They sat in icy silence, staring at nothing, until a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Galinda said, grateful for the distraction. Perhaps Shenshen had come to check on her…

Both girls were surprised when Nessarose's pretty face peeked around the door. Usually the tragically beautiful girl refrained from associating with Elphaba unless it was absolutely necessary; Galinda had even heard her deny being the green girl's sister at all.

Miss Elphie was on her feet in a heartbeat, concern darkening her features. "Nessa, are you alright?"

"You weren't at dinner," Nessarose said in an accusatory tone.

"I was… studying."

Pretty little Nessa sighed, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "This has got to stop. There is more to school than academics. I would have thought that Miss Galinda would have taught you that much."

Galinda wasn't sure whether to be flattered or offended, so she remained silent.

"Anyways." Still frowning, Nessarose reached behind her back and grabbed a small burlap sack, then tossed it to her sister. "There's some fruit and cheese and a few rolls in there. You're welcome." And with a huff, she wheeled herself back out the door and shut it soundly behind her.

Curiosity overpowered Galinda's urge to keep her distance from Elphaba. "Whew… what's wrong with her?"

"What's it to you?" Elphaba snapped, biting into a roll a bit more viciously than necessary.

Galinda shrugged, eyeing the food hungrily. "I don't know," she answered honestly. For one reason or another, Elphaba seemed to accept that answer.

"I suppose it's never occurred to you how difficult it is to be hated by everyone." She wasn't looking at Galinda. "Nessa has never gotten used to it. She never will. It's just her personality."

"Have you?" The words slipped out before Galinda could stop them. Horrified, she looked down at her pillow, at her lap, anywhere but at her roomie.

Elphaba laughed harshly, finished the last bite of her roll, and tossed the bag of food over to Galinda's bed.

"Here, eat this. I don't want any more. Turn the lights off when you go to bed." And without another word, Elphaba turned over, pulled her threadbare brown blanket up to her chin, and lay quiet and still for the rest of the night.

After picking at a few bites of orange, Galinda did the same. Curled up beneath a pile of lace, silk, and bows, she felt her gut wrench with an emotion she couldn't quite name. She tossed and turned fretfully all night, while Elphaba remained still as a statue. Somehow she knew, though, that neither of them would get any sleep that night.

**A/N: So what do you think? I'm debating whether or not to make this a oneshot or continue in drabble-fashion (but longer) with little life lessons that Galinda and Elphie teach one another. Ideas are also appreciated. Let me know! The review button is your FRIEND… **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: -blushes- Well, don't I feel all special and loved? That response was phenomenal! You guys are great. Who could resist all your cute requests to continue?**

**This chapter is darker than the last: you have been forewarned. The rating is going up for non-explicit, implied sexual content (rape). The beginning is super-fluffy, though. **

**And before I get trampled by a hoard of book purists, I will also say that this chapter draws a little bit more from the musical (Galinda and Fiyero are dating, and the characterization of the latter is definitely a reflection of the "Dancing Through Life" era, superficially superficial Yero, but WITH the diamonds!). Trying to make everyone happy here, and praying I succeed…**

With a scream of frustration, Galinda crumpled the latest draft of her term paper, tossed it in the air, and burst into tears. Boq was at her side in two seconds flat, cooing and patting her back like a fussy nursemaid. Her boyfriend, on the other hand, was too busy arm-wrestling Avaric to notice her distress.

"I… c-can't…_ take_ this any more!" the blonde girl sobbed, dabbing at her eyes with the collar of Boq's shirt. "I'm col-lapsing under all th-this stress, and n-no one even _cares_!"

"I care, Miss Galinda!" Boq offered.

"Yes, and I ap…preciate that, Biq." Galinda hiccuped. "But no one _else_ does." She caught herself just short of saying no one _important_. "I thought they were my fr-friends!"

In the armchair across from the duo, Elphaba looked up from the massive textbook sprawled across her lap and sighed. "Are you done? I'm trying to study, here."

Galinda gestured dramatically at the green girl and choked on another sob. "_See_? My own roomie doesn't even care about me! She wouldn't even notice if I fell off a cliff and _died_!"

A grin spread across Elphaba's face as she looked back down at her textbook. "Of course I would," she said monotonously. "Your snores drown out thunderstorms, easily. If you died, I might actually get a good night's sleep for once." Galinda wailed; Boq glowered and made a "cut it out" gesture; Elphaba merely smirked, shrugged, and dove back into her work.

A few seconds later, Fiyero won the second of three rounds against Avaric, collected his dues from the disgruntled gamblers around the table, and finally glanced over at Galinda and noted her condition. Holding his forefinger up in a signal for the rest of the boys to wait a moment, he loped dutifully to his girlfriend's side and slipped between her and a sullen Boq.

"Why the tears, pookie doodle?" A rehearsed pet-name; Galinda's choice, of course.

Without looking up from her textbook, Elphaba made a gagging noise, grabbed her throat, and covered it up with a cough. In her peripheral vision she saw Boq nod subtly in agreement.

Pouting, Galinda nuzzled into her beau's muscular, diamond-tattooed shoulder. "Oh, nothing," she whimpered. "The midterms are just making me a little nervified."

"Yeah, I had a feeling," Fiyero confessed, as if diagnosing a chronic disease. "But don't worry; I have just the cure."

Galinda pulled back far enough to look into his eyes, and her stomach did a somersault. Fluttering her eyelashes, she asked sweetly, "You do?"

He nodded. "The boys and I were about to go down to the pub for drinks. Why don't you come with us? It'll be good fun. Besides, you need a break from all this studying." To seal the deal, he leaned forward and kissed her deeply. But just as Galinda melted against him, he pulled away, grinning. "So is that a 'yes?'"

"Oh, you!" Galinda blushed a brilliant pink and batted playfully at his chest. Biting her lip, she cast a doubtful glance at her paper, which lay crumpled at her feet. "But I don't know… I really should finish that essay…"

Elphaba, who had long surpassed her nausea tolerance level for the night, snapped her book shut all of a sudden, making everyone jump. She rose to her feet, disgust etched into her face, and pointed an accusing finger at her roomie. "Galinda, if you fall for that repulsive, lusty, testosterone-driven attempt at persuasion, I think I'll push you off that cliff myself. Your grade hinges on this paper. Pick it up, iron it out, and come with me."

The Winkie prince seemed to be completely dumbstruck. Everyone knew Miss Alphabet (or whatever her name was), of course; it was hard to miss her, as she always sat in the front of class, answered every one of the professors' questions, and was… well, the only green-skinned human he had ever met. He looked from Galinda to the outspoken green girl, trying to figure out the extent of their relationship and coming up with a blank.

"You know her?" he asked finally.

Galinda's blush only darkened. "Unfortunately," she grumbled. Then, to Elphaba: "Last I checked, you were my roomie, not my mother. And personally, I find Fiyero charming and, yes, _very_ persuasive, unlike _you_." And with that, she, too, rose to her feet, dragging Fiyero along with her. "Count me in, Fi-Fi."

"Please," Fiyero whispered desperately, close to her ear. "Don't call me—"

But it was too late; Avaric, sore loser that he was, had already overheard the hideoteous nickname, and was cat-calling it at the top of his lungs.

"Hear that, boys? Fi-Fi and Pookie Doodle are coming with us!"

Fiyero winced almost imperceptibly before snapping back, "Oh, shove it up your ass, Avaric. You're just jealous because no girl can stand to look at you for five minutes, let alone date you." Wrapping his arm around Galinda's waist, he steered her gently toward the door, and the other boys fell into line behind him, admiring the form-hugging cut of Galinda's dress hungrily.

Once all of the Fiyero followers, and finally Avaric, filed out of the café, only Elphaba and Boq remained, both glaring stormily at the retreating party's tail end.

Sighing in defeat, the Munchkin boy collapsed into the armchair Galinda had recently occupied, miserably stroking the armrest because her hand had touched it.

"I don't know why I bother, Miss Elphie. It's like she doesn't even see me."

Elphaba slumped back down into her own chair and raised an eyebrow at him. "You say it like it's a bad thing. Do you have any idea how much easier my life would be if I was invisible to people like Galinda?"

Boq didn't answer; he was too busy wallowing in self-pity. Sighing for what seemed the hundredth time in the past hour, Elphaba dropped her textbook on the small, round cherry wood table in front of her, and used her foot to drag Galinda's paper over to her. She bent down and picked it up once it was within reach, smoothed it out over her knee, and began to read. Her brow furrowed as she went along, and without even registering the movement, she picked up her own pen and began to make marks, suggestions, and comments on her roomie's paper.

_Galinda  
Second Period History  
Dr. Dillamond's class  
Shiz University_

_Oz has a history that is both complex and startlingly simple. **(Your hypothesis is self-contradictory. Pick one and stick to it!) **There has been much speculation about how Oz itself came into existencewhether religious icons such as Ozma, Kumbricia, **or** Lurline **(or the Unnamed God)** were the creators of this land we call home, or whether through science the land just naturally evolved. Personally, I choose not to have an opinion on the matter, as it only seems to cause irresolvable arguments and bouts of temper among the citizens of Oz, and it doesn't really matter anyway, because it's all in the past and people should be much more concerned about the future. **(First of all, that IS an opinion in itself. Second of all, this is supposed to be an informative essay, not a narrative, so you should scratch that part entirely. Third of all, the past shapes the future, you ignoramus!)**_

That was all Galinda had managed to write so far. Frowning, Elphaba flipped the paper over, searching for more. There was none.

"She was having a mental breakdown over _one paragraph_?" Elphie shook her head in disbelief. "I've already finished five pages in a lot smaller print than this, and…" She felt her forehead mockingly. "No sign of hysteria yet."

Boq jutted his chin out defiantly, and in doing so, resembled his four-year-old self, Elphaba thought amusedly. "Well, maybe all of us aren't blessed with your knack for spewing out this useless crap. Maybe some of us don't _care_."

"You're right. Some of you don't," Elphaba agreed, making sure that her expression conveyed quite clearly what she thought of said people. "But Galinda _does_. Scoff if you must, but there's a brain buried beneath that pile of curls, somewhere. I know it. She's just obsessed with attention, and you and Winkie boy are stupidly male enough to give it to her."

Boq's right eye twitched at the mention of his competition. "Do me a favor, and never group me and that… that tribal _freak_… in the same sentence again."

Intrigued, Elphaba set her roomie's letter down on top of her abandoned textbook and leaned forward, her fingers entwined and resting between her knees. "Fascinating… see how the male puffs out his feathers, beats his chest, and declares war on the—"

"Funny. I'm going back to my dorm now, Miss Elphaba. When Miss Galinda comes home…" He hesitated, chewing his lip, then waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, never mind. I keep forgetting: I'm nonexistent." And with a bitter sigh, he slumped out into the chilly evening air.

Elphie watched his retreating form until he disappeared around a corner, shaking her head all the while. One of these days, she would summon the courage to ask one of these drooling pigs what exactly was so appealing about Galinda of the Arduennas. Unfortunately, she thought she knew the answer all too well: Galinda was beautiful, blonde, naïve, and well endowed in the torso department.

"_Men_," she grumbled. And with a roll of her eyes, she swept up her textbook and Galinda's essay and walked back to her dorm room, alone.

* * *

_**  
**_

_Diamonds swam in and out of focus. Somewhere above her head there was a harsh orange glow— or was that Avaric's tunic? Fireworks exploded, shattering brilliant neon colors. Her stomach churned, clenched, and violently expelled its contents. She didn't care; she hardly noticed. Her entire body was free, free… floating in this strange kaleidoscope, drifting…_

_But it was not to last. Quite suddenly, a dagger— long, hard, and relentless— ripped its way into her most sacred area. Excruciating pain blitzed through her nervous system. She arched, screaming ancient profanities, beating her fists at thin air. _

_Diamonds, red and blue and dripping… melting… melded with the harsh orange… roared words she couldn't make out. The dagger retreated. The pain did not. She saw spots, and then black._

When Galinda woke again, she was no longer floating; she was drowning. Icy air flooded her lungs, bile stung her throat, and her sacred place throbbed and bled. Her eyelids fluttered open groggily and she saw diamonds.

"F'ero?" Her voice was slurred beyond recognition.

"Hush now." His own voice was hardly a whisper, but even that faint sound was enough to make her head sear in protest. "I'm taking you home."

"Nooo!" She groaned, burying her face in his chest. "My parents… they'll kill… me…"

"Not that home. Your dorm home. And if I were you, I'd be a lot more scared of Alphabet's reaction than your parents'."

"It's _Elphaba_," Galinda corrected. She threw back her head and howled with laughter just seconds before collapsing against him, unconscious.

* * *

_**  
**_

Elphie was sleeping soundly when Galinda staggered into their room three hours later, sobbing loudly enough to rouse the dead. Rolling over with a groan, Elphaba dragged the pillow out from under her head and clamped it over her ears, hoping to drown out her roomie's dramatics and succumb to the tug of sleep. Midterms were tomorrow, after all; neither of them could afford to stay up all night while Galinda whined about silly boys.

Elphaba had just reached the threshold of sleep, ready to cross over into blissful oblivion, when her mattress sagged with the weight of another being. Caught in the haze between waking and sleeping, she asked her father in a groggy murmur to give her five more minutes. When there was no verbal response, she stretched out her hand and slapped at the dip in the mattress. Her hand found the form of a small, trembling girl perched on the edge of the bed, and with a light sigh, she opened her arms habitually.

"Nessie, it's just a storm," she whispered. The girl crawled willingly into her arms, shaking with sobs, and Elphaba rested her chin on top of her head. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm here. I'll protect you."

"Promise?" It wasn't Nessarose's voice, but Elphaba was too tired to notice.

"Promise." She yawned, buried her face in the girl's sweet-smelling hair, and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

_**  
**_

Two glass-shattering screams pierced the girls' dormitory, waking every living creature within a three-block radius.

Elphaba was the first to recover, catapulting to her feet and flying to the far side of the room, her back pressed up against the wall. Her hazel eyes were wild, her chest heaving.

"What— the bloody hell—" she panted.

"Stop _yelling_!" Galinda moaned, clutching her temples.

"I just woke up to find you in—my—_bed!_" Elphaba screeched. "Your drool is on my pillow! My nightgown smells like… like YOU! I think I have a right to yell!"

"It was your idea," the blonde girl grumbled, crawling into her own bed and curling into the fetal position. "Now hush and let me go back to sleep."

In three strides, Elphie crossed the room and tore the blankets off of her roomie's huddled form. "Not until you tell me what the hell happened!"

Whimpering, Galinda turned her face into the mattress, shielding her eyes from the faint grey light of dawn that filtered through the curtains. "My head hurts, Elphie… let me sleep… please… I can't even think…"

"You're hung-over. I told you not to go out last night, but would you listen? Oh, _no_, you had to follow Prince Charming off to the pub! And you expect me to be sympathetic?" Elphaba took Galinda by the shoulders and flipped the smaller girl onto her back. It took her a few seconds to recognize that there were tears in her roomie's eyes, but the revelation did not deter her from her interrogation. "And you can cease and desist with the theatrics any time now. You said it was _my_ idea? How?"

"Miss Elphie…" Galinda was sobbing outright now, her face pink and scrunched up like a newborn baby's. She evidently had not bothered to wash her face last night, because glitter and mascara were smudged down her cheeks. "Please, please just leave me alone. I don't want to talk about it right now. I _can't_!"

Something about Galinda's tone snagged in the green girl's heart. Frowning slightly, Elphaba softened her voice a bit and tried a gentler approach.

"Did you…" She hesitated. It was laughable, really; insane. But at the moment, she had no better explanation, so she had to at least try. Shaking her head, she started over. "My sister used to crawl into bed with me when she had a nightmare, or when there was a storm. They terrified her." She stared down at Galinda, who was still weeping into her palms. Since the blonde girl hadn't objected yet, Elphaba guessed that she was on to something. "Did something frightening happen to you last night?"

Galinda nodded feverishly, choking on a sob.

"Something at the pub?"

Again, Galinda nodded.

Elphaba's spine stiffened. "Did Fiyero try to—?"

"No!" The blonde girl shot upright, shaking her head like a madwoman. "No, he didn't do it! It wasn't him! It wasn't!" She doubled over coughing, trembling from head to toe. When she recovered, she choked out brokenly, "It was Avaric… I think it was Avaric…"

The blood ran cold in Elphaba's veins. Beginning to tremble just as violently as her roomie, she bent down and took Galinda's face in her hands, ignoring the blistering pain that the blonde girl's tears left on her skin.

"Galinda, look at me." Reluctantly, she did. "What did Avaric do? _No! _Don't you dare look away. Tell me, Galinda. What happened?"

"He… he…" The blonde girl suddenly looked so small. Her voice failed, dissolved into silence, and her mouth worked silently, her blue eyes pleading with Elphaba to understand.

"Shit," Elphaba swore, turning away to compose herself. She did not like Galinda of the Arduennas. In fact, up until a few days ago, she had been positive that she loathed her roomie's frilly pink guts. But for the first time, she felt a stirring of… what was it? … _compassion_… for the poor blonde dolt. It was the same gnawing feeling in her gut that she felt when some bullying bastard decided to pick on Nessarose; she couldn't _stand_ it! It was true, Galinda probably had it coming, and if she had only listened to Elphaba's advice she would have never been put in such a perilous situation, but nevertheless…

Eyes closed, fists clenched, she spoke through her teeth without turning to face Galinda. "And where, pray tell, was Wink- Fiyero at the time?"

"I can't remember," Galinda moaned. "We were dancing and drinking, and drinking some more… and then all I remember is laughing a lot… and I was pressed up close to someone, dancing… I thought it was Fiyero, but everything was so hazy and… and… then I think we… we went outside, maybe… and then he… Avaric… _someone_… he…" She was sobbing too hard to breathe. It was several minutes before she recovered enough to finish weakly, "But Fiyero came… he fought him off, and I think he was bleeding. I think he was hurt. But he carried me back here. And… and I was so scared, Elphie! I thought maybe Avaric would come back to get me, and I saw you laying there, and you promised you would protect me, and I _believed_ you!"

Elphaba cursed under her breath. Now that Galinda mentioned it, she recalled some sort of dialogue along those lines occurring when she was half-conscious. The puzzle pieces had all snapped into place, and she felt like a cold-hearted bitch.

Before she knew what she was doing, she had turned around and taken her sobbing roomie into a tight embrace. Galinda stiffened for a millisecond before melting eagerly into the green girl's arms.

"I'm an idiot," she sobbed hysterically. "A naïve, stupid, thick-headed _idiot_! And midterms start in three hours, and I haven't even finished my history paper, and I'm going to fail my classes and be shunned by my parents and be forced to live on the streets in the Emerald City selling faux fur to idiots who can't tell the difference!"

Elphaba knew the proper social standard would be to contradict her, to tell her 'no, it's not your fault, you poor dear!', but she couldn't bring herself to lie flat-out. Besides, Shenshen and Pfannee would do plenty of that once they heard the tale. And the comment about faux fur led her to wonder whether or not Galinda had even considered whether the pelts belonged to a Mink or a mink, and whether she would care even if she did…

"We all make stupid mistakes," she said finally, stifling the urge to add, _especially when we ignore the pearls of wisdom offered by our roomies_. This didn't seem to brighten Galinda's spirits, however, so she sighed and tried a different approach. "And as for your paper… well, I did promise to help you with history in return for the dance lessons."

Sniffling, Galinda pulled out of Elphie's embrace, a spark of hope lighting up her face. "Oh, Miss Elphaba, would you really help me?"

"A deal is a deal." The green girl nodded. Galinda smiled, or tried to, but the expression was unmistakably pained.

"I don't know what to say… just… thank you. Let me wash up. I don't think I could stand to look in a mirror; I must look a fright!" She wiped her eyes and flinched, moving her fingers over to her temples, which she began to massage lightly. "Ugh… remind me never, ever to drink again."

Elphaba watched her roomie in silence for a few moments before pressing lightly down on Galinda's shoulders. "Lay down."

"What?"

She picked the comforter up off of the ground and draped it over the blonde girl's small form. "Try to get a few more hours of sleep. I'll wake you in time to get ready for the first midterm."

It still wasn't clicking. "What? But… my paper…"

"You worry about sleeping off that hangover. Let me worry about the paper."

Galinda blinked her large blue eyes. "Why are you doing this?" When Elphaba didn't answer, she continued, "I've been a royal bitch to you. I've made your life miserable. I decimated your social life before it even had a chance to take root. I started nasty rumors about you. I—"

Raising an eyebrow, Elphaba interrupted, "Well, if you put it that way…"

"No!" The blonde girl winced at the volume of her own voice, then reiterated more softly, "No, no, I'm not _objecting_, just…"

"Then do us both a favor and shut up and go back to sleep," Elphaba said curtly before plopping down on her bed to write a lyrical, bubbly, Galinda-esque paper for the first and last time in her life. A girl could only stand so much, after all.

Neither girl brought up the fact that Elphaba covered the window with an extra towel to keep the room dark, or that she placed a warm compress on Galinda's forehead while the blonde girl slept soundly, or that several times as she wrote her roomie's essay, she paused to glance over her shoulder at Galinda's slumbering form, if only to assure herself that Avaric had not crept into the room without her noticing. She had vowed to protect Galinda, consciously or not, and though she didn't understand it, Elphaba had an insuppressible gut feeling that it would be one promise she would give her life to uphold.

**A/N: So how did this chapter compare to the last, plotwise, emotionally, characterizationally? (I made it up, leave me alone, haha!) It's got a very different tone: darker, obviously. Did you like the incorporation of Musical!Wicked into the story? Dislike it? Don't really care? Want me to shut up? Lol.**

**As for the Gelphie issue: **

**I'm going to dance very delicately around this subject, as Gregory Maguire so exquisitely demonstrated. Basically, I'm going to leave it open-ended: Gelphie shippers, there is plenty of room here to assume an infatuation, and those who want just friendship, that's the very basis of this story, and you can very legitimately leave it at that. If I do my job correctly, I should make everyone happy. That's the goal, anyway.**

**Review, pretty pretty please! I'm probably going to fail my Viewing Diversity class because I was writing this chapter instead of my essay on colonialism, so I do hope it was worth it, lol!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Aww, I love you guys! Thank you so much for the continued support; it means so much to me. In order to balance out the angstiness of the last chapter, I present you with some more fluff! Also, this chapter is my first attempt at getting into Fiyero's head, so any and all feedback on how you think I've handled it would be much appreciated. Thanks! **

"_You_." Elphaba's voice was a serrated growl, animalistic enough for Fiyero to mistake her for a Tigress. He wheeled about, preparing to defend himself against a four-hundred pound beast, and jerked his head back in shock when the small green twig of a girl lurched forward, latching a surprisingly strong grip onto his tattooed forearm. Her nails dug painfully into the tender flesh, and he grimaced, trying unsuccessfully to wrench out of her taloned grasp.

"Ow, ow, _ow!_ Cut it out, Greenie! What did I ever do to you?" She didn't answer except by tugging harshly on his arm. She was dragging him in the opposite direction of their Life Sciences class, away from all the other students. Fiyero, Prince of the Arjikis, accomplished hunter and arm wrestler, suddenly paled, afraid for his life. Fury was etched into every line of the green girl's face, sharpening her already prominent features. She was small and fragile-looking, but Fiyero wasn't entirely stupid; he knew she was Horrible Morrible's prized sorcery student (Galinda whined at him about it several times daily, as if she thought he could actually _do_ anything about it), and if she so chose, she could probably give him a tail and pus-spurting boils before he could manage to twist one green arm behind her back.

And so, clenching his teeth to keep from crying out, Fiyero allowed himself to be pulled along with bruising force by his girlfriend's psychotic green sorceress of a roomie.

_This_, he mused bitterly, _is my life. Or whatever's left of it_.

Alphabet or Elphabet or Elpha-something, _whatever_ her name was, didn't stop until they were at the very edge of campus, in a little park area bordering the man-made Shiz Lake. He was more than a little worried by the fact that they were out of earshot of any sentient being, unless those ducks bobbing noisily in the lake were actually Ducks, and even then, he wasn't sure how they could be of much help.

At last, the green girl released her death grip on his arm, and he gasped, massaging the flesh moodily. There were little dents in his skin where her nails had been, but no blood. For a moment, he considered making a run for it, but fear of arriving at Life Sciences with some sort of hideous deformity put a quick end to that idea. Glowering, he looked over at his kidnapper, who was eyeing him with a matching hostility.

"Alright, Winkie boy, I'm going to ask this once, and only once, so listen up."

Fiyero sneered. "You say it as if I have a choice."

The green girl ignored him. "What the hell went on at the pub last night?"

He blinked. Had Galinda actually confided in this green psychopath? His interest was piqued, so for the moment he decided to play dumb to see just how much information he could sap from his girlfriend's roomie.

"Um, we drank?"

She was unimpressed. "Um, no _shit_. You know very well what I'm talking about, Fiyero." The unexpected use of his first name startled him; he hadn't even thought she knew it. She planted her hands on her hips, reminding him starkly of his mother. "So fess up: was it you, Avaric, or one of the other drunken pigs who raped Galinda last night?"

Her bluntness was grating on his composure. She obviously had no sense of social protocol, and Fiyero wasn't sure whether to be impressed or offended.

"It wasn't me," he blurted before he could stop himself.

She nodded once. "Good to know." There was a millisecond's pause before she pressed forward aggressively, "So it was Avaric?"

"I—" Fiyero hesitated. He did not like this situation at _all_. He needed time to think, to compose himself, but it seemed the green girl would give him no such luxury. Avaric, rat bastard that he was, did not deserve a fifty-year sentence to Southstairs for making a stupid mistake in the drunken stupor that Fiyero himself had initiated by suggesting a trip to the pub. Guilt wrenched at the Arjiki prince's gut— he knew he shouldn't have brought his girlfriend along. He had known good and well how rowdy and unmanageable his friends got when under the influence of a few too many drinks. And if he had only kept his wits about himself and refused that extra shot of Gillikin brandy, he probably would have been able to whisk Galinda out of harm's way before things had gotten out of hand. In this sense, he felt just as much guilt about the matter as if he had committed the deed himself. So why should Avaric be forced to carry the full weight of the blame?

Swallowing, Fiyero straightened his spine and squared his shoulders, looking the green girl directly in the eye. "Yes," he answered firmly.

Her dark eyes flickered back and forth, as if searching for a trace of deception in his gaze. Evidently, she found none, for she nodded and began to walk away without another word.

He caught her by the arm, his voice and posture steady. "Hear me out," he requested. Surprise registered briefly in her eyes before she yanked her arm away, folded her arms across her chest, and pursed her lips. He took that as a sign that he should continue. "It was partly my fault," he explained. The green girl's face was static. Sighing, he slumped a little and adopted a more casual tone. "Look, we all make stupid mistakes. Mine was ignoring my gut instinct and bringing my girlfriend into a dangerous situation. Galinda's was dancing a bit… friendlier than appropriate with Av. And obviously, we know his." Silence. "I'm not trying to make excuses for him, all right? He's a bastard, and he should pay for what he's done. But if you take this to Morrible, she'll have him thrown in Southstairs. He's scum, but he doesn't deserve that kind of punishment."

He was arguing himself in circles, he realized, and fell silent suddenly, awkwardly. The green girl was staring at him with a frightening intensity, almost as if she could see right through him. It was more than a little unnerving, and he shifted uncomfortably under her unwavering gaze.

"Interesting," she murmured after a painfully long pause. He couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic or not, so he waited for her to elaborate. She didn't.

"What is?" he asked when the awkwardness reached an unbearable point.

Her lips twitched thoughtfully. "First of all, I would never take this to Morrible. I'm not _that_ thick." Fiyero blushed, trying to distract himself from her penetrating gaze by watching the ducks. "Second of all, you actually appear to be thinking, which is a shock unto itself. Unheard of, come to think of it. You must be exhausted."

He brushed it off easily; he was used to these sort of comments. "Well, I was planning on sleeping through Life Sciences until _someone_ decided to abduct me and interrupt my naptime."

Her eyes flashed with something— amusement? Was she even capable of that?

"And third of all," she continued, undaunted, "you're offending those Ducks. Stop gawking, for Ozma's sake."

His blush deepened, and he was very thankful for the tattoos that covered up the sudden rush of blood to his cheeks. "Oh, right, sorry," he said, waving sheepishly at the Waterfowl. They harrumphed and turned away, tails lifted indignantly. He might have laughed, had he not feared that the green girl's booted foot would land solidly in his groin if he did.

The green girl cleared her throat, shifting Fiyero's attention back to her. Something about her expression had softened, just slightly. Well… she no longer looked as if she might hex him at any given moment, anyway.

Her name came to him all of a sudden, and he spoke it aloud, absently. "Elphaba."

She tilted her head, one eyebrow arched questioningly.

"What are you going to do about all this?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then answered vaguely, "I haven't decided yet. Perhaps I'll let Galinda think up a suitable punishment for him."

He smiled despite himself. "Let me know if you need ideas. I have a few of my own."

Elphaba began to stroll back in the general direction of their Life Sciences class, and Fiyero fell into stride beside her. "Wouldn't that require more thinking on your part?" she teased.

He shrugged. "Yeah, probably. I dunno. Maybe I'll just beat the snot out of him and be done with it. After my nap, of course."

He wasn't sure— it might just have been the light hitting her profile at an odd angle— but he could have sworn for a fleeting moment that he saw her lips twitch in the faintest trace of a smile.

* * *

**  
**

"Could you turn him into a Pig?" Galinda suggested later that night.

Elphaba shook her head. "No. That would be an insult to Pigs, and they're sensitive enough as it is. Besides, those transformation spells are too complicated. He'd probably wind up with the snout, ears, and tail of a Pig and the rest human."

"Even better," the blonde girl said.

"No."

Both girls lay on their own beds, staring at the ceiling. Elphaba had a book splayed across her lap, but she had abandoned it hours ago for the more entertaining prospect of thinking up punishments for Avaric.

"Maybe… lock him up somewhere and let him rot in his own filth for a few days."

Elphaba twisted her lips. "We'll put it down on the list of possibilities. Keep thinking."

There was a long silence, and then Galinda bounced up into a sitting position, her face bright with a devilish smile. "Ooh!" she squealed! "Ooh, ooh, oh, Unnamed God, that's so _wicked_… ooh!"

"Will you quit with the nauseating giddiness and say it already?" Elphaba feigned frustration while she herself was on edge, anxiously waiting to hear Galinda's brilliant idea.

"Okay, okay, well, you know how he's got gorgeous hair, right?"

Elphaba blinked. She'd never noticed it before, to tell the truth, but if anyone would be an expert on hair, it was her roomie. "Um, sure…"

Galinda collapsed in a fit of giggles, rolling around on her frilly pink bed with peals of shrill laughter. "I'm a genius! An absolute _genius_!"

"Oh, for the love of—"

But before Elphaba could come up with an appropriate way to finish the sentence, her roomie had sprung to her feet and was prancing across the room to the large closet which both of them supposedly shared, but was occupied by a grand majority with Galinda's ridiculous collection of fluffy, sparkly gowns. Alternately humming and giggling to herself, the blonde bent down and rummaged through a large pink suitcase filled with personal hygiene supplies. At last, she found what she was looking for, and bounced out of the closet with a triumphant grin.

"Tadaa!" she squealed, brandishing a purple bottle like a trophy.

"Great!" Elphaba intoned with mock-cheerfulness. "What the hell is it?"

Galinda's blue eyes rolled to the ceiling. "Oh, honestly!" she grumbled, thrusting the bottle into Elphaba's hands. "It's special edition Lovely Lilac _Hair-Be-Gone, _featuring the legs of Sessie Sarefell herself! _See?_" She pointed lovingly at the picture of two well-toned bronze legs on the label. Elphaba blinked. Galinda was flabbergasted. "Don't you _read_ _Ozmopolitan_ magazine?"

"Decidedly not," the green girl said, pushing the bottle away. It smelled funny.

Galinda's expression melted from one of utter incredulity to pity. "Oh, you poor, sheltered thing. You don't even know who Sessie Sarefell _is_, do you?" She made a disapproving sound with her tongue. "Well, don't worry, I'll help you catch up. It'll take a while, but we'll get there."

"Right," Elphaba grumbled, scratching her neck. "So, about getting revenge on Avaric…"

"Ooh, yes!" The blonde's grin returned, and she snatched the offensive-smelling bottle up off of the bed. "So here's my idea: we'll have Fiyero or Biq or someone sneak into Avaric's shower kit and take his shampoo bottle, and replace the contents with this!"

Elphaba was impressed. "Why, Miss Galinda… I think you've _actually_ stumbled upon a brilliant idea."

"Don't sound so surprised!" The blonde girl pouted for a moment, and then burst into a smile again. "But you're right: it is rather brilliant, isn't it?"

And, with the sketchy idea in place, the girls huddled together on Elphaba's bed, muffled laughter seeping from between their fingers as they whispered into the early hours of the morning, exacting their plans for sweet revenge.

**A/N: Just in case you're as confused as Elphaba, the stuff in the purple bottle is supposed to be the Oz equivalent of Nair. The idea is, if they dump it into Avaric's shampoo, all of his hair will fall out the next time he showers. Never tried it myself, obviously, but that's the theory. –giggles- **

**Again, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and reviews really brighten my day and encourage me to write more. :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I probably should have mentioned in the last chapter's author notes that the bubbly, giggly, cheerful Galinda was a façade. Of course she wouldn't wake up the morning after being raped and be bright and giddy! Sorry, I should have made that more clear. I wrote this chapter in a drabble-like fashion: short segments from throughout Galinda's day, strung together to make a story. If the last chapter was fluffy, be warned that this one is an angst fest.**

* * *

The first thing she did upon waking was paint her toenails. Pale pink, sugary, sparkle-coated. Galinda had learned over the years that a little bit of glitter could conceal even the most gruesome of wounds.

So she wore a lot.

Head to toe, she sparkled. Diamond-crusted hair clips, ruffles, lace, rhinestones, taffeta, three-inch heels, all in an eye-popping, scandalous shade of hot pink. And then, the dust; with a fine, soft brush, she applied a thin sheen of glitter to her eyes and cheekbones. A swab of shimmering gloss to her lips, and she was ready to face the world.

Miss Elphaba left for class early, as she always did. But this morning, the green girl hesitated at the threshold, textbooks clutched to her chest, staring with blatant concern at Galinda as the blonde applied the finishing touches of her makeup.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" she asked quietly.

Galinda didn't look up from her compact mirror.

_Elphie, please don't leave me… please… I'm afraid. I don't want to walk to class alone! What will I do if I see HIM in the hall? What if he's furious that Fiyero denied him his prize last night? Oh, Unnamed God, what if he tries to finish where he left off? Who will protect me? _

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," came her nonchalant reply, accompanied by a sharp roll of her blue eyes. She added a bit more glitter to her cheeks. "Listen, Miss Elphaba, I was not myself last night. I apologize for imposing my petty little social problems on you. You were very gracious, but I'm quite all right now. And I would appreciate it if you didn't speak of last night's events, at the pub or otherwise, to anyone."

Her roomie hovered in the doorway for another few seconds before grumbling a typical, "Suit yourself," and slipping into the hallway. Only once the door was shut firmly behind the green girl did Galinda fall forward, blonde head cradled between her trembling arms.

_I can't, I can't, I can't… _Her heart screamed. _I can't leave this room. I can't face this. I can't _deal _with this!_

She didn't cry for long, if only because she didn't want to explain the mascara smears and puffy red cheeks to Pfannee and Shenshen, who would be sure to notice. Dabbing at her eyes with a white and pink handkerchief, she swallowed her tears for the time being. Practicing a cheerful smile, she studied herself in the mirror. Yes… the bubbly pretense would pass; the smile and sparkle would easily mask the shredded girl beneath.

"I'm fine," she told her reflection convincingly. "Nothing unusual happened last night. Why do you ask? No, really, I'm fine. Just dandy!"

Her jaw cramped with the threat of a second round of tears, and she snatched up her purse and books before they had a chance to fall. Keep moving, that was the key: move, and smile, and glitter.

No one had to know that inside she was screaming.

* * *

**  
**

"… but I prefer sapphire, myself. Cobalt was _so_ last season. Don't you agree, Miss Galinda?"

The blonde tuned in to her friends' conversation just in time to hear her name; she had been watching the café door all morning. She had forgotten that she had promised to accompany her friends to a light lunch off-campus. Upon being reminded of the social date her façade had nearly shaken apart in a moment of panic. Thankfully, she had been able to compose herself enough to come along, strategically placing herself between Pfannee and Shenshen for protection. While her friends chattered, Galinda nibbled halfheartedly at her dainty cucumber sandwiches, nodding when appropriate, but focused the majority of her attention on the entrance in case Avaric should choose to spend his lunch hour likewise.

"Galinda?"

"I'm fine," she answered too quickly. Blushing prettily, she laughed at herself, relieved when her friends did the same. "I'm sorry. I'm not all here this morning, as I'm sure you can tell."

Grinning, Shenshen leaned forward and whispered, "Daydreaming about a certain Winkie Prince, I'm guessing?" Pfannee joined her in giggling.

Internally, Galinda sighed in relief. Thank the Unnamed God, a distraction!

"Is it that obvious?" she asked, making sure to bite her lower lip. It was the subtle actions, after all, which made a performance work.

Pfannee clutched her heart and made a ridiculous face, squealing. "You two are _so_ adorable! Really, Miss Galinda, you're perfect for each other! It's obvious you're completely in love."

Yesterday afternoon at the same time, Galinda would have agreed wholeheartedly. Right now, her head and heart were too cluttered to differentiate love from excruciating pain. Fiyero…

_Blue diamonds, dripping with red… was he hurt? Oh no… was he…? Did Avaric set his thugs on Fiyero to keep him from intervening? Obviously they failed, but too late. Oh, Fiyero…_

"Yes," she said aloud, though her eyes were distant. "We couldn't be happier."

* * *

Fiyero swept back his shaggy bangs to reveal a jagged red cut across the crown of his forehead. Galinda gasped, but he shrugged, letting the hair fall back into place.

"It's nothing. Doesn't even hurt any more." He made a face. "Miss Elphaba made me put ointment on it. I waited all day for my face to break out in purple warts or something, but I guess it really was what she said it was."

The double-shock of that statement stopped Galinda in her tracks. "You… she… you talked to her?"

The Winkie prince scowled. "I didn't have much of a choice. She dragged me away from Life Sciences and forced me to tell her what had happened with… you know."

Galinda blushed furiously. "Oh, I'll _kill_ her… I told her not to mention it to anyone!" She dragged her fingers back across her scalp, groaning. "Listen, I don't want to think about last night, Fiyero. I don't want to _talk_ about it, I don't want to _hear_ about it, I don't want to _remember_ it. It never happened, as far as I'm concerned." She fixated a level, piercing gaze on her boyfriend. "You haven't told anyone other than Elphie, have you?"

He shook his head, eyes downcast. "No. And neither has Avaric. He's been holed up in the dorm all day with the hangover from Hell."

"Good," she said, allowing the double-meaning to pass without further comment. A warm breeze rippled through her hair and her skirt, and she closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she smiled and kissed Fiyero lightly, weaving her arm through his. "Look, let's change the subject. It's such a beautiful day. Shall we go to the park and have an ice cream?"

He hesitated for a moment, eyeing her with concern. But the moment was just that, and then he smiled easily and escorted her to the nearest snack stand, where he bought her a strawberry ice cream cone because it was pink. Galinda licked at the confection meekly, trying not to make a face. In all actuality, she hated strawberry. She loved chocolate, with tiny marshmallows and fudge swirls. No one would have guessed it by looking at her, she supposed. Funny, how the world had one narrow perception of her. And funnier still… she squeezed herself into that small box to try to please everyone.

For a fleeting second she stared at her ice cream cone in disgust and thought about feeding it to the ducks that were sitting on the shore close to them. Elphie would have done it. Actually, Elphie would have corrected Fiyero mid-order, and called him out on assuming he knew her precise tastes.

But she was not Elphie. Smothering a disappointed sigh, Galinda took another lick of her ice cream and turned to smile at her boyfriend, who had a smear of chocolate-marshmallow-fudge ice cream on his nose.

* * *

She slammed the dorm-room door behind her, glaring daggers at Elphaba.

"Remind me never to trust you with my personal affairs ever again!"

The green girl didn't even look up from her book— a tedious and snore-inducing collection of old unionist sermons. "All right."

Incensed, Galinda flopped down on her bed and screamed violently into her pillow. When she was done, her face was beet red, and frustrated tears had gathered in the corners of her eyes.

"Have you no sense of decency at all?" she barked at her roomie.

Calmly, Elphaba set her book down and fixated a stony glare on the blonde girl. "I wouldn't have bothered to talk to your beloved Winkie prince today if I didn't."

"Exactly! How can you claim to have any shred of decency when you made a promise to me and then went out and broke it at the first opportunity?"

The green girl pursed her lips. "A. I never said I wouldn't talk to anyone about it; you demanded it of me, but I never agreed. And you were a royal bitch about it, too. You might want to work on the whole politeness thing before asking favors." Her words were harsh, but her eyes held a sort of raw compassion that made Galinda want to sob. "B. Your reputation is fine, if that's what you're worried about. He already _knew_. It's not like I gave away some huge secret. And C. I wanted to find out what the hell happened last night, from a person who was sober enough to remember. Obviously, we know the outcome, but not the details leading up to it. I needed something more solid than the guesses of a traumatized, hung-over rape victim."

The words were like repeated blows to the stomach, leaving Galinda winded. It took several seconds for her to be able to draw in a single breath, and it was shaky at that. She saw spots, and her head reeled. _Traumatized, hung-over rape victim_. It was too much… she couldn't think about this. She couldn't handle Elphaba's sadistic logic, no matter how much it made sense. It hurt too much… she was drowning in the truth, flooded with excruciating pain.

_No, no, no… I'm fine… don't let her get to you!_

And just like that, a stone wall slammed shut around her emotions, replaced by the false, giddy cheerfulness that was the world's boxed view of her. She squeezed herself inside and held tight, because it was safe, because she was perfect in that little box, carefree and untainted. Her personality reverted to its default mode as the real, broken Galinda curled up in a ball somewhere in the tattered remains of her heart.

"I suppose you're right," she replied after a ridiculously long, awkward pause. Elphaba had gone back to reading her book, or at least pretending to. She glanced up in surprise at the cheerful tone of the blonde's voice. "So I think we should definitely come up with a plan for revenge!"

Elphaba blinked a few times. "Are you all right?"

"Fine!" Galinda answered automatically, rummaging through her end table for a pad of pink paper and a fluffy, glittery pen. "So help me think of ideas! Dumping rotten fish guts in his tub? Covering him with honey and feathers while he sleeps? Cutting holes in all of his pants? Come on, I know you've got to have ideas!"

The green girl stared at her with wary confusion for a good minute before answering in all seriousness, "Castration with a butter knife?"

Galinda shrieked and blushed, but scribbled the suggestion down nonetheless. "You're just _awful!_ Give me some more!"

The distraction worked like a charm on both girls. Galinda giggled and squealed her way through the night, approaching the situation as if Avaric had merely planted a stink bomb in Crage Hall, and the girls were out to get revenge. The simpler the mindset, the better. Elphaba caught on quickly, adopting her own take on the light, giddy mood Galinda was trying to radiate. By the end of the night, the act had progressed so much that they hardly had to think about laughing at the right moment, dancing around the subject of rape while discussing the rapist, and maintaining a friendly banter with one another. It came naturally, right up until Elphaba announced that it was three in the morning, and she needed sleep.

Nodding, Galinda slumped over to her own bed, suddenly very aware of how exhausted she truly was. Curled up against the wall, she lay awake only a few minutes after Elphie's light snores began to fill the room. In the dark, with no audience to see her, she turned her face into her pillow and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: It occurred to me that there's a perfect line to describe this chapter, and it's entirely unrelated to Wicked:**

_**Inside my heart is breaking,  
My makeup may be flaking,  
But my smile still stays on…**_

_**("The Show Must Go On," by Queen, but I know it through Moulin Rouge, haha)**_

**So I hope this cleared up some of the questions you had regarding my take on Galinda's character. I'm always open to criticism, as long as it's constructive, and you all did great with that in the last chapter! Please keep up the reviews, because I have an addiction to them, and as far as I know, there's no rehab yet. ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: My best friend and I just had one of those heart-to-hearts-you'll-never forget on the beach in the freezing cold at 11:00 at night over lukewarm peppermint mochas. I came home, and in the wee hours of the morning, wrote this chapter. Just in case you were wondering where the inspiration came from. ;)**

Fiyero did his part without question; the next morning, after Avaric showered, he took his roommate's shampoo bottle and delivered it into Galinda's hands. More than a little concerned by his girlfriend's abrupt emotional shift, he was sure to squeeze her a little bit tighter, kiss her a little bit deeper, whenever they met. Galinda, for her part, was bright and bubbly, as always— that was what worried him. The only change he could decipher was in her subtle unease whenever he made a move to touch her. She kissed him, but the movement was robotic, forced. She accepted his embrace with a smile, but wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. Eventually, though it pained him, he learned to keep his distance, ignoring the protective instinct that welled inside of him to keep her within the circle of his arms at all times, where jerks like Avaric couldn't get to her. In Galinda's traumatized state, he realized, one boy was no different from another, even if she knew he would never do anything like that. At least he _hoped_ she knew.

Desperate for any source of information he could get, he approached Miss Elphaba directly following their Life Sciences class, which he had doodled through. She ignored him while she packed up her books, and he was beginning to wonder whether she had any intention to acknowledge his hovering presence at all. At last, swinging her bag over one shoulder, she straightened her spine and looked at him levelly.

"Why, Prince Fiyero, you actually made it to class today," she said, lips pursed. Her eyes didn't leave his as she began to walk out of the lecture hall, and Fiyero took that as a signal to follow her. "What did you think of the lecture? Personally, I thought Dillamond's explanation of the importance of otozoa and metazoa in the pathogenesis of human diseases was outstanding."

The diamond-tattooed prince stared at her, then laughed. "Out of that entire sentence, I got 'Dillamond's explanation of yada-yada-something-something about human diseases was really good, huh?' And my answer is sure, I believe you." Elphaba rolled her eyes, and he produced the paper he'd been doodling on. "Don't give me that look! See how productive this class was? Tell me this isn't the best drawing of Galinda you've ever seen in your life."

She peered at the paper in annoyance, but the expression promptly dissolved into a muted respect. "Not bad. Are you an Art major?"

He snorted, stuffing the paper unceremoniously into his pocket. "Yeah, because my father would approve of _that_." He shook his head and shrugged. "No. I'm majoring in Political Sciences. Don't really have much of a choice, if I'm to inherit the Arjiki throne."

"Sure you do," Elphaba said with an intensity that startled him. "I'm the Thropp Third Descending. My grandfather's ancient, ready to croak any day now, and my mother has been dead for years. It's only a matter of months before I inherit the Eminence." She shrugged. "And I'm a Sorcery major, minoring in Life Sciences."

Fiyero frowned. "And your father approves?"

"My father doesn't give a Shiz-nugget what I do," she said sharply, "So long as my sister's taken care of. I don't want the damn Eminence anyway. Nessarose can have it." She stopped in her tracks suddenly, and spun to look at him face-on. "But why are we discussing my sister? Something tells me it's another girl you want information about, and I _despise_ small talk. Cut to the chase, Winkie boy. I have better places to be."

Before he could stop himself, he grumbled, "Where, your precious library?"

Elphaba's expression turned icy, and without another word she stormed away. Cursing his moment of stupidity, Fiyero jogged after her, and grabbed her forearm, forcing her to turn and look at him.

"_Look_, Winkie, I don't have time for—"

"What in Lurline's name did you say to Galinda last night?" He talked over her forcefully enough to shut the green girl up. For a moment they had a stare-down competition, and he was surprised when Elphaba bowed out first, shifting her glare to the ground. Pressing forward desperately, he continued, "Elphaba, my girlfriend is suffering. She's shut herself off from the world, and I don't know how to get to her. Out of everyone in this school, she's been spending the most time with you lately. Pfannee and Shenshen haven't even noticed the change in her, so I didn't press it. You're my last hope, Miss Elphie, and I know there's something you're not telling anyone. So spill."

When the green girl looked back up at him, some unnamed emotion stirred in her eyes. Her shoulders were stiff— she didn't like to be touched either, it seemed— and she wrenched her arm out of his grasp. Still, she stayed put, and seemed to be thinking about how best to answer him.

Lips pursed into a thin line, Elphaba squeezed her eyes shut for the briefest of moments, and then said levelly, "She accused me of breaking a promise to her about not talking to anyone about the whole pub scene. But I never said I wouldn't, and I reminded her of it. I don't know, maybe I was a little… all right, I was _brutally_ honest with her. She was in denial about the whole thing."

"Spawn of Kumbricia," Fiyero swore. "What did you say to her?"

"Just that her account of that night wasn't entirely accurate, because of her condition…"

"What were your _exact_ words?" he demanded, catching on to her discomfort.

The green girl bit the inside of her lower lip. "I called her a traumatized, hung-over rape victim." Her eyes flashed. "And, in my defense, she _was_—"

Fiyero threw his head back and groaned loudly. "Tell me you're lying. Please, _please_ tell me that was supposed to be a joke."

Elphaba scowled. "Well, someone had to tell her the truth! What did you want her to do, live the rest of her life in denial that the whole thing ever happened?"

His voice rose in pitch and volume until he was nearly shouting. "And you think this is an improvement? Her acting like it was a slight, forgettable mishap that can be fixed with a college prank? She's like a walking, talking tic-toc version of herself! It's not even _her_ any more!"

"And that's _my_ fault?" Elphaba's voice had risen too. "Whose idea was it to go out to the pub? To get drunk instead of studying for midterms?"

His chest stung with the weight of her words, perhaps even more so because he had clandestinely accused himself of the same thing; the green girl was twisting the dagger that had already pierced his heart.

He backpedaled quickly, still smarting from her remark. "Look, I think there's blame to share in this whole damned thing. It was stupid of me to bring her along, it was stupid of her to dance so intimately with Av, it was stupid of him to take advantage of her, and it was stupid of _you_ to call her stupid! We've been over all that, and it's pointless; we could go in circles forever. Now let's get past the five year old finger-pointing ethic and figure out what in Ozma's name to do to help her."

Elphaba blinked at him a few times, obviously taken-aback. After a few seconds of heavy silence, she cleared her throat and said quietly, "So there _is_ a brain beneath that mop of hair." A typical Elphaba response, but he knew it was meant to be a compliment.

"Yeah," he said dryly. "Just like there's a heart locked beneath that green skin of yours."

Her cheeks flushed a dark salmon color and she lowered her head so that a veil of sleek black hair fell over her face, pretending to scratch her nose.

"A heart was never the problem. It's a soul I seem to be lacking."

He wasn't sure whether she was being serious or not, so he replied a bit awkwardly, "Does that mean you're going to help me?"

When she looked up again, a newfound respect had settled in the mysterious dark orbs that were her eyes. "Yes," she said with a slow nod. "I suppose it does."

* * *

"Goodbye, Shen! See you at dinner!" Galinda waved through the door, shut it, and turned to look at Elphaba with a big smile. "Hello, Elphie! How are you toni-?"

"Sit down." One long, green finger pointed at the fluffy, frilly bed pressed up against the opposite wall.

Galinda's eyes widened and her pink lips puckered in an innocent-looking pout as she complied. "Miss Elphie, are you feeling quite well? You look…"

"Upset," Elphaba supplied. In one hand she clutched the purple bottle of half-empty shampoo. With the other, she reached behind her back and pulled out a small, hot pink book. The practiced, innocent look fled from her roomie's blue eyes, replaced by an explosive combination of horror and fury.

"Elphaba!" she shrieked, leaping to her feet and groping determinedly in the direction of the pink diary. The green girl handed it over without a struggle; she didn't need it any more. With a furious snarl, Galinda whacked Elphaba's shoulder with the journal and stormed over to her side of the room.

"This is _mine_!" she huffed, clutching the book to her chest. "You have no right to invade my private property!"

"You're right; I don't," Elphaba agreed serenely.

With another shriek, Galinda tossed her book violently down on the bed and pointed an accusatory finger at her roomie. "You read it, didn't you?"

"Of course. What would be the point in stealing your diary if I had no interest in its contents?"

Blood rushed to the blonde girl's cheeks. Too late, she tried to re-adopt her bubbly façade. "Well, I can't imagine why you'd be interested in the ramblings of a ditz like me! I mean, you're not exactly the blackmailing type…" Her eyebrows shot up fearfully. "…are you?"

Slowly, almost sadly, Elphaba shook her head. The frown had disappeared from her emerald features, replaced by authentic concern. "I won't tell anyone what I read, Galinda. And this time, I'm actually making that a promise."

Galinda seemed to relax, but only a little. The color was still high in her cheeks, her pretense locked on autopilot. "Well, that's very kind of you. But I can't recall writing anything that you'd want to tell anyone even if you hadn't promised. I mean, it was all just silly, emotional babbles, and—"

"Galinda." Elphaba's voice was quiet, gentle.

"—certainly nothing in there of any vague interest to you or… or Shenshen or Pfannee or Fiyero—"

"Galinda."

"—I always rant in there as if what I'm saying is important, but it's all ridiculous and theatrical. I'm such a drama queen—"

"Galinda!"

"_What?_" The blonde girl tried to keep her voice from quavering, and failed miserably.

Slowly, as if approaching a spooked horse, Elphaba rose to her feet and crossed over to her trembling roomie. Galinda held her chin high. Her lips twitched and began to wobble, and she clamped them shut. In a sudden movement that shocked them both, the girls embraced at the same moment, a pink face pressed into a green neck, glitter-dotted tears scalding an elegant jade collarbone.

"Elphie…"

"Sshh." Her long, elegant fingers worked in gentle circles along the blonde girl's spine. It had always soothed Nessie, and, fortunately, it seemed to have the same effect on Galinda. "You don't have to pretend any more. It's okay. It's okay to cry."

"No, it's not!" Galinda moaned, her shoulders jerking with sobs despite herself. "Don't you see, Elphie? I can't! I can't let this get to me. Normal girls go to pubs. Normal girls drink. Normal girls dance with boys. Normal girls would kill to have Avaric between their legs… Pfannee and Shenshen and Milla and _everyone_ but me! How can I be their friend if I'm not normal? My life, _everything_ I've ever worked for, is centered around being normal and popular and loved! But how can I do that if I _hate myself_?" Her voice had risen two octaves, and was so choked with tears that the words slurred into a high-pitched scream.

For her part, Elphaba could do nothing but cradle her roomie gently, rocking back and forth without registering the movement. She knew Galinda's questions were rhetorical, and though a thousand logical answers burned on her tongue, begging to be voiced, she bit them back. They would be lost on her broken friend now. And somehow, over the past few days, she realized with a start that that's what Galinda had become… a friend. Her first and only friend.

Squeezing her eyes shut against her own tears, Elphaba hugged her roomie a bit tighter, sending a rare and heartfelt prayer up to the Unnamed God or Lurline or even Kumbricia— whichever divine being happened to be listening, if any.

_Help her to find her path… one that will make her happy. She deserves better than this._

"Thank you," Galinda whispered, her voice small and childlike near Elphaba's ear. Overwhelmed by the timing of her friend's response, the helplessness with which it was spoken, and the joy and utter relief that accompanied the recognition of a mutual friendship, Elphie buried her face in Galinda's blonde curls and wept for the first time in years.

**A/N: What can I say? I'm a sucker for sappy Galiphaba friendship pieces. :-P Yes, Galiphaba. I decided Gelphie was too one-sided. I mean, come on, all Galinda gets is the "G"? Galiphaba is more balanced. So there. Lol.**

**Review, please! It doesn't take much time at all, but it makes me a very happy (and therefore more productive) authoress!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This chapter is an emotional roller coaster: starts out fluffy, gets emotional, and calms down again. There's a big nod to "The Wizard of Oz" in the first part of this chapter— I'm sure you'll notice it, haha. Hope you like!**

They walked to class together for once, Elphaba's slender green arm linked through the curve of Galinda's peaches-and-cream elbow. Fiyero met up with them halfway across campus, his muscular, blue diamond arm supporting Galinda's other side. She smiled at him— genuinely, for once— and the three marched on together, ignoring the stares and muffled whispers of the students they passed. They heard a shout to wait up, and then short, stocky little Boq joined their group, obviously irked by the fact that Galinda had no more arms to offer. Only slightly put-off, he took Elphaba's arm instead, content to be part of the group for once.

"So the royalists resist Unionism because the current Ozma is supposedly a direct descendant of Lurline. Divine right, I think it's called," Galinda chattered on, verbally outlining their textbook. Boq hung on her every word, but Elphaba was busy practicing her dance final in small steps so as not to get ahead of the group, and Fiyero was whistling a chipper tune, completely uninterested in academics.

"I didn't know you were so well-versed in history, Miss Galinda," the Munchkin boy said, practically swooning. "Your intelligence never fails to astound me."

She flipped her golden curls and beamed at Elphaba. "I had some help. Right, Elphie?"

"Shh! You're breaking my concentration," the green girl hissed. She was staring intently at her feet, as if by the force of her glare she could make them move in the correct pattern.

"No, no, no!" Galinda halted, and the entire group was forced to stop with her. "Elphie, watch me. Left foot forward, back ball change with the right, skip forward, switch legs, repeat."

At last, Fiyero snapped out of his private reverie, watching the two girls dance. It looked a bit ridiculous to him, but ridiculous was his forte. Just for fun, he tried to mimic Galinda, and he stumbled back in surprise when she squealed excitedly.

"That's it! Fiyero's got it. Left foot forward, back ball change, skip, switch, repeat!"

Elphaba blushed, scowling. "Stop _rushing_ me. I didn't make you learn that entire chapter on the annexation of the Vinkus in one sitting!"

But Boq, desperate for Galinda's praise, had begun to imitate the dance step too, one small foot landing solidly in front of the other. "Like this, Miss Galinda?"

"Perfect!" She grinned at him and he turned the color of a ripe tomato, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Oh for Ozma's sake," Elphaba groaned, wrenching herself from the chain and raking her fingernails through her hair. "If Munchkie and Winkie boy can do this stupid step in one try, I can damn well get it down before class starts." She scowled, pinched her lips together, inhaled sharply through her nose, and then leapt forward, her feet kicking up with perfect rhythm as they landed in the proper positions, and then reversed, doing the same with the other leg. Galinda jumped up and down like an excited terrier and skipped over to her roomie, linking arms mid-leap. Boq scurried over and latched on to her free arm like a zealous leech, a triumphant beam lighting up his face. With a roll of his eyes, Fiyero swooped over to Elphaba and took her free arm. He began to whistle the chipper song again, to the time of their footsteps, and together, the four of them danced their way to their History midterm, giddy and glad to be together.

* * *

The general mood reflected on the group's faces upon _leaving_ the exam was not nearly so chipper— Galinda chewed her lip, Boq wrung the inside of his pockets, Elphaba remained silent and stony-faced, and Fiyero looked utterly bored.

"Thank Oz that's over." The Arjiki prince heaved a sigh and cracked a smile, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, come on, guys, you look like you're trudging off to your own funeral!"

"I _am_, if I did as poorly on that test as I think I did," Boq groaned. "Mum'll slit my throat and serve my brains to my little brothers and sisters for supper. Good protein."

Galinda flipped her hair, making a gallant attempt at cheerfulness. "Oh, I'm sure it's not as bad as all that. And only one more midterm left before vacation, after all! What's your last class?" She opened the question to the entire group, looking around at her sullen friends.

"Pesticide and Fertilizer Application Technology," said the Munchkin, rolling his eyes.

"Modern Gillikinese Dance," said the green girl, wrinkling her nose.

"Don't remember," said the Arjiki prince, shrugging his shoulders.

The other three friends stared at him for an awkward moment before Galinda supplied, "Dynamics of Conflict and Cooperation?" to which he laughed, kissed her, and agreed, "Yeah, that one."

They parted ways at the fountain in the center of campus, Galinda leading a very reluctant Elphaba off to their dance midterm while Boq and Fiyero headed off to the southernmost cluster of buildings.

"Do you think it's an act?" Elphaba asked after a long stretch of silence, staring at the sidewalk just ahead of their feet. Galinda blinked, lost.

"Think what's an act?"

"Fiyero," the green girl said, moving her lips into the distinct expression that meant she was deep in thought. Her blonde roommate still didn't follow, so she merely stared at Elphaba until the green girl shook her head dismissively. "Never mind."

Neither one of them brought it up again; Galinda wisely kept her distance from any more discussions about acting— maintaining a pretense of cheerfulness, stupidity, apathy or otherwise— though it didn't fail to occur to her that the lot of them seemed to be made of countless layers, like a pastry from the deli she had loved as a child. They each wore different masks to fit the occasion, and Galinda was not prepared to call her friends out on their façades, knowing that the conversation could swiftly be turned, the accusation shifted back to her.

She all but dragged Elphaba through the door to the dance class. The other girls gaped openly at her loose association with "The Artichoke," and she flushed bright pink under the pressure of her peers' ruthless eyes. Fortunately, Miss Elphie, sensing her distress, shook her off with a sneer and sulked over to the back corner of the room. Mentally, Galinda shot her a _thank you_ as she trotted over to join Pfannee and Shenshen, her face twisted in a look of disgust.

"Were you just _touching_ her?" Shenshen asked, appalled.

"Is she slimy, like a toad?" Pfannee chimed in, her eyes bright at the opportunity to gossip.

"I'll tell you about it later," Galinda promised. Sneer still firmly in place, she turned over her shoulder to look at Elphaba, batting the lashes of one eye in a quick wink. If the green girl saw it, she didn't respond; Elphie merely raised her upper lip in a snarl and gnashed her teeth. Galinda almost laughed, but managed to twist her amusement into a look of utter repulsion and covered her giggle with a gag.

"Don't look at her for too long, darling; you'll make yourself sick," Pfannee whispered, and all three girls laughed.

"Yes, just imagine what it's like rooming with her," Galinda replied, hating herself more each second. "I have to turn and face the wall to keep from vomiting all night." The other two squealed with pleasure, but their conversation was cut off before another word could be said, as Madame Tsutsi entered the room, traditional Gillikinese dancing skirts rustling about her ankles. The room fell quiet instantly as the girls awaited their individual dance examinations. Perhaps she was imagining it, but Galinda thought for a moment that she heard Elphaba's breath behind her, loud and trembling as inhaled sharply through her nose… almost as if… as if…

She didn't have time to finish the thought.

"Arduenna, Galinda."

Lost in a guilty daze, she stumbled her way through the dance she could have done in her sleep. She heard Madame Tsutsi announce her grade as if through a sheet of glass— "I'll grant you an eighty percent, Miss Arduenna, and be thankful for it. I must say, I'm disappointed; you showed such promise in the rehearsal stages."

Nodding blankly, she turned and fled the room, unable to bear the condescending glare of her professor, the questioning eyes of Pfannee and Shenshen, or the wounded look on Elphie's beautiful green face any longer. Biting her lip until the metallic taste of blood pooled in her mouth, she ran and ran and ran… blindly, without thinking, to the southernmost cluster of buildings. Her heel broke on the third step of the Political Sciences building, and she kicked off her shoes and kept running until she staggered, gasping for breath and sobbing hysterically, into Fiyero's classroom.

Thank all the divine beings that supposedly ran the universe— most of the class had already finished their midterms, and Fiyero had just handed his paper over to the professor when Galinda entered. He looked confused for a moment, and then ran to her, collecting her into her arms as if she weighed no more than a life-sized rag doll. Shooting an apologetic look at his peers, he carried her out into the hallway and set her down on her feet, though she still leaned nearly all of her weight on him.

"Pookie doodle… calm down, breathe… Tell me what happened."

But she was beyond rational thought— she blurted the question that burned on her heart, her words slurred with tears and an excess of saliva, as she was unable to swallow around the lump in her throat.

"_Why_?" She sobbed. "Why do you pretend to be stupid, Fiyero? You're NOT! I _know _you're not! WHY DO YOU PRETEND? TELL ME!"

Her eyes were wild, and her face was a mess of glitter and black-streaked tears. For a moment, Fiyero simply stared at her, concern etched into every line of his face. He considered calling for help— for a doctor, a therapist, _someone_— but her question gnawed relentlessly at his conscience. Certainly, he was no professional… but suddenly he knew how he could help her.

"Because it's easy," he answered. "And it earns me a lot of friends. Brainy people like Elphaba and Boq are outcasts. I mean, the only reason you hang out with her is to get help in history, right?"

"No!" Galinda spat with an intensity that took him completely off-guard, even with his clandestine knowledge of how close the girls had become. "Elphaba just so happens to be a kind, intelligent, genuinely compassionate person. So why the Hell do we all hate her? Because she's green? Or because she has the nerve to say what she means, and do what makes her happy instead of what everyone else wants her to do?" Some of the hysteria had seeped from her voice, and for once, she was making sense. Fiyero didn't dare interrupt her— she needed to say all of this, to sort it out in her mind as she spoke the words out loud. "Why can't we be like her, Fiyero? Why do we _care_ so damned much what everyone else thinks? Are we really that self-absorbed, or is it another act? I don't even know any more. I don't even know who I am, or who I'm supposed to be, but it's not… it's not the girl everyone sees. I don't want to be her any more. But… I can't stop myself. I _want_ to be popular. Does that make me a bad person?"

"No," he answered softly, stroking her flaxen curls. "Everyone does. Even Miss Elphie, believe it or not."

"I know she does." Galinda's voice had dropped until it was barely a whisper. "And she should be. She's so brilliant, but she can never see the fun in life. She never gets the chance."

A long silence fell between them, filled only by their quiet breathing. Fiyero pressed his lips gently into her hair, thinking long and hard, before he said with more wisdom than anyone would have credited him with, "Perhaps… there's happiness to be found somewhere between the somber Miss Elphie and you, the bubbly socialite." He pulled away just far enough to look her in the eyes, his goal realized. "I have a plan."

**A/N: And, with that lovely cliffhanger, I'll have to leave you guys for a little while. Because… drumroll, please…**

**I'M GOING TO LONDON TO SEE IDINA MENZEL IN "WICKED" THIS FRIDAY!**

**-cue wild, hysterical fangirl side of me-**

**Don't worry, though; I'm sure my muse will get crazy inspiration from seeing the musical, so I'll update like a maniac when I get back, okay? Love to you all! And kindly remember to review, please!**


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